'05 Tucson ESP or ABS problems?

I hope Hyundaitech reads this, we really need some direction with this:

Sunday morning the ABS kicked on for no apparant reason, and naturally we were unable to come to a complete stop. Road conditions were dry, no sand or dirt in the road. As a result, we bumped the rear bumper a gentleman in front of us. Our initial thought was the brakes failed. But we heard a grinding noise while trying to stop, and the front end was bucking up and down; which I interpret as the ABS noise (grinding) and the bucking as the vehicle trying to stop on dry pavement (ABS doing its job pumping the brakes). We had it towed to the local Hyundai dealership, they were unable to find anything wrong.

So the question that is eating us alive is - "why?" Again, roads were clean, no dirt or sand. We think it is possible there could have been oil in the road (it did happen next to a Pep Boys and a Nissan dealership, but let's be clear here - I am certainly not placing blame). Obviously the ABS were doing their job, but nothing was so apparent to set them off. There is a set of railroad tracks on this particular road, but the distance between the tracks and the incident is, say, 20 yards (I am the previous owner of an '02 Saturn L300 that would apply the traction control if I hit railroad tracks, manhole covers, or pot holes). So our thinking was the railroad tracks set off the ABS - and set them off for another 20 yards?

I noticed there is an NHTSA recall out there # 05V119000, Hyundai Recall # 068 for the ESP. Is it possible that over a year later, this is an issue?

Please help!

-M

You'll hear the ABS motor/pump and may be able to feel a vibration in the brake pedal. But this wouldn't normally make the front of the vehicle buck.

Later in your post you mention that you thought you might have run through some oil. And actually, based on everything you list, I find that more plausible. If you've ever tried to stop a vehicle when just one spot of the tire had something slippery on it, you'll know that it makes kind of a jerking brake-slip-brake-slip type of reaction.

I tend to think, like you, that the ABS was probably doing its job. I hope you're not learning this here, but it's important to review. The first time my ABS activated when I went over something slippery with one wheel, I didn't stop very well. And that was because I didn't apply any further brake pressure when the ABS activated. I've since learned that applying further brake pressure not only can be done, but is imperative. The ABS was only activating on one wheel. The others had much more braking power left. Since I've learned this, my stops with one wheel on a slippery surface have been much less harrowing. In fact, once the ABS activates, the best option in many circumstances is to depress the brake pedal as hard as possible.

If you don't have a good feeling for how your ABS system controls your braking, I wholeheartedly recommend taking your car to a safe area (won't run into anything) with a slippery surface to do some trial stops.

The recall you mention, Recall 068, was for reprograming the ABS/ESP module. If your vehicle was eligible for the recall and it hasn't been done, then this can still be an issue. But I don't think it was an issue in your case. The recall addressed unintended ESP activation, which would normally feel like one sudden jerk turning the vehicle to the left or right.